House lawmakers combing through the higher education budget

A House Appropriations subcommittee is now working on the budget for higher education.

This week, the University System and its 11 campuses are making presentations to the Education and Environment division. The Senate has already made some significant spending cuts. Its version proposes general fund spending of $616 million. That compares with $837 million in the current biennium.

"These campuses are doing the changes that are deep and significant," said Board of Higher Education president Kathleen Neset. "Those changes are impacting many, many lives. It os difficult to do -- very difficult."

Neset said the campuses have risen to the occasion.

"For the most part, I'm going to say that the campuses and presidents have done a very good job," Nest said. "The faculty, the administration have recognized the severity of this."

Neset said she stil believes there is what she called a "glimmer of hope."

"There is a future that is optimistic for this state again," Neset said. "And we will be better for having gone through this process."

Neset said the state’s current financial situation is a “big bump in the road.”

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It’s a $65 million reduction in general fund spending from the 2015-2017 biennium.

"It's a large decrease," said Sen. Ray Holmberg (R-Grand Forks), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "But I think with good leadership at the campus level, and at the board level, they can continue to grow."

A subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee has begun studying the higher education budget.

The subcommittee is working off the new budget proposal submitted by Gov. Doug Burgum. That proposal is for $507 million for the University System. That’s down from the original 2015-2017 base budget of $614 million. And it's down from the post-allotment base of $567 million.

The president of a group that represents North Dakota state employees said he thinks the number of potential job cuts in the North Dakota University System is too high.

The system says as many as 490 positions could be eliminated – based on the two budget allotments and Governor Dalrymple’s call for a 90 percent budget in the upcoming two year period. Of those, 190 are vacant, 125 could be employees retiring early or leaving on their own, 70 could mean contract reductions – and 105 could be laid off.